US Senate Rejects Bill to Raise Minimum Wage, Cut Estate Taxes

美国参议院否决提高最低工资、减少遗产税议案

The U.S. Senate has rejected a Republican-sponsored bill that would have raised the U.S. minimum wage and cut inheritance taxes on multi-million dollar estates.

The measure needed 60 votes for final congressional approval, but fell four votes short, with 56 senators voting in favor of the bill and 42 against. The bill would have increased the hourly minimum wage for U.S. workers from five dollars, 15 cents an hour to seven dollars, 27 cents over the next three years.

Opposition Democrats have been calling for an increase in the minimum wage, which has not been raised since 1997. But many of them denounced the bill as a ploy to achieve a cut in the estate tax, which is a major goal for conservative Republicans.

Republicans say the estate tax - which they have dubbed the "death tax" - makes it impossible for many Americans to pass on their family-owned businesses or farms  to their children.

美国参议院否决了共和党人提出的将提高美国最低工资，并降低对价值数百万美元遗产税收的案。

这项议案需要60票才能获得国会批准，但是少了4票，56名参议员投票赞成议案，42名参议员反对。这一议案拟将在今后3年里，把美国工人的最低工资从每小时5美元15美分提高到7美元27美分。

反对派民主党一直呼吁提高1997年以来一直没有提高的最低工资。不过，很多民主党人谴责议案是为实现保守派共和党人的一个主要目标-削减遗产税而使用的花招。

共和党人说，遗产税，也就是他们所称的“死亡税”，使得许多美国人无法将家庭买卖或农场传给孩子。